What Happened To Denny Blaze ‘The Average Homeboy’? [Answers Inside]

As reporters/journalists/chroniclers of all things “new media,” NMR is often people’s source for questions, such as: “What the hell happened to the ‘diarrhea jacuzzi girl’?” Frequently, there aren’t any answers because they dropped offline and stopped making/showing up in videos. But these people/animals/objects are an important part of the culture. And so, as often as we can, we track them down so that you can get some closure in your life. Join us as we search for answers in our recurring weekend feature “What the Hell Happened To __________________?”

This week, we find out what the hell happened to the Average Homeboy, Denny Blaze:

Denny “Blazin” Hazen was looking for his big break when he created a video demo to send out to record labels in the late 80s. As it turns out, that video was ultimately successful — but not in the way Denny thought. Found by a staffer at MTV after it stayed dormant for 17 years, it was uploaded to YouTube in 2006. Denny Blaze, not one to waste an opportunity, uploaded the video to his own page once it started making traction.

(photo credit: dennyblaze.com)

But Denny Blaze hasn’t been resting on the laurels of that one video — he’s been making more. And it’s sort of been paying off: three years ago he was one of the headliners for a concert at the famous Whiskey A Go Go in Hollywood:

Another of the YouTube superstars who has been given an opportunity to go on Tosh.0, Denny claimed his opportunity to become an Above-Average Homeboy. He’s also been working behind the camera, filming for various TV shows in the Ohio area (where he’s from). It’s accrued him several credits on IMDB, a listing that has also revealed he has a college degree. So he’s got brains, skills (yes, with a “z”) and most importantly, the motivation to see his dream of being a star come to fruition. Sure he’s got a ways to go, but he hasn’t given up or settled.

Unfortunately, like so many YouTubers from the early days, Denny is seeing diminishing returns for his efforts. Initially, his first vid had over a million views. From there, it dropped to hundreds of thousands to thousands to now, as of a week ago with his last upload, hundreds of views:

So even though YouTube might not be his bread and butter going forward, Denny has another potential gig to fall back on: movie star.

Yup, Denny Hazen was cast for a role in the 2014 Kevin Costner movie Draft Day. Denny Hazen might just end up being an shining star in front of that camera he loves yet. And going forward it might not be for ironic reasons.

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